This lively introduction to the linguistics of Arabic provides students with a concise overview of the language's structure and its various components: its phonology, morphology and syntax. Through exercises, discussion points and assignments built into every chapter, the book presents the Arabic language in vivid and engaging terms.

Abbreviations and symbols used in this book; 1. Arabic linguistics: overview and history; 2. Arabic phonology; 3. Arabic phonotactics and morphophonology; 4. Arabic syllable structure and stress; 5. Introduction to Arabic morphology; 6. Derivational morphology: the root/pattern system; 7. Non-root/pattern morphology and the Arabic lexicon; 8. Arabic inflectional morphology; 9. Syntactic analysis and Arabic; 10. Arabic syntax I: phrase structure; 11. Arabic syntax II: clause structure; Appendix 1. Fields of linguistics and Arabic; Appendix 2. Arabic transcription/transliteration/romanization; Appendix 3. Nominal declensions; Glossary of technical terms.

'This highly accessible book serves two constituencies: Arabists who wish to learn the basics of linguistic theory and how it applies to Arabic, and linguists who wish to learn the basics of Arabic and how it fits into linguistic theory. This double task is performed with great clarity and economy. Karin C. Ryding deserves our thanks for filling this gap in the study of Arabic. Her book will appeal to a wide readership and will be required reading for generations of students.' Yasir Suleiman, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Sa'id Professor of Modern Arabic Studies, University of Cambridge'Addressing itself almost exclusively to the Arabic of writing and formal declamation, this work provides a much-needed introductory framework for applying the analytical principles of general linguistics to the language.' David Wilmsen, American University of Beirut'... thanks to its clarity and precision, it will be a very valuable tool both for advanced students and non-specialist teachers of Arabic ...' Manuel Sartori, translated from Bulletin critique des annales islamologiques